1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus providing information about a function of a network device including an image forming apparatus having a plurality of image forming means.
2. Description of the Related Art
With expansion of networks such as the Internet or home network, user interactive devices such as PDAs and cellular phones and imaging apparatuses such as digital cameras scanners, printers and copiers have been developed to support the networks. Further, various devices such as televisions, air conditioners or refrigerators have been also developed to support the networks.
Accordingly, a large number of functions are present for enhancing ease-of-use and simplicity in using the network supporting devices. One of the functions is network plug and play function. The conventional plug and play (PnP) is a function operating when devices and a PC that is a host computer are directly plug-connected to various local I/O ports (serial, parallel, USB, PCI, IEEE1394, PCMCIA, etc.). In plug and play, the device sends the device type (device ID), manufacturer name (vender ID), serial number, etc. to an information processing apparatus in the host. The information processing apparatus refers to the received information and automatically installs the device driver on a client computer to enable the client computer to use the device. Such a technique has been dominantly used. The network plug and play extends this to connections between NCDs (Network Connected Devices) and the host computers. Standards such as PnP-X (Plug and Play extensions) proposed by Microsoft Corporation, BMLinks promoted by JBMIA (Japan Business Machine and Information System Industries Association) or Bonjour developed by Apple Computer, Inc. are now provided.
PnP-X is a function which can detect a device on the network and install a device driver corresponding to the device, based on function information provided by the device compatible with WS-Discovery, in addition to the conventional plug and play. The WS-Discovery is a device detecting protocol for UPnP® 1.0 (Universal PnP) or WSD (Web Service for Devices) (see J. Beaty, et al, “Web Service Dynamic Discovery (WS-Discovery),” April 2005. The function information is information specifying a function or a service provided by a device.
An operating system having the PnP-X function achieves detection of network devices having various protocols by the system combining function discovery with function discovery provider. The function discovery is a function discovery client relating to an application layer. The function discovery provider relates to a protocol layer. An “IP bus enumerator” that is a function discovery client receives a notification from each function discovery provider responding to the function information of UPnP or WSD of the devices connected to the network and lists the found device information. The listed device information (including device IDs, vender IDs, etc.) is passed from the “IP bus enumerator” to a “plug and play manager”. Then, installation of the driver corresponding to the device information is started.
Further, the PnP-X function has a system for preventing that all drivers of the found devices which are connected to the network are installed. This is achieved by an “Association Database” and a user interface of a control panel referred to as “add/delete network device” that is another function discovery client. The “add/delete network device” obtains information from the function discovery provider and lists the devices which are currently found, to display the list with the user interface. A user starts the “add/delete network device” and selects the “installation allowed” devices among the listed devices and registers the device information of the selected devices to the “association database” by an “add” operation. The “IP bus enumerator” passes only the devices registered in the “association database” among the found network devices to the “plug and play manager”. By this process, it is prevented that the drivers for all devices found on the network are installed (see “Discovery, Plug and Play Integration, and Web Services for Network connected Devices”, Apr. 25, 2005.
Systems, such as a system having the PnP-X function, are conventionally provided in which a host computer connected to devices via a network installs programs based on response information from the devices (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-6133).